News - Pastor's Welcome RSS Feed

By the time you read this I will be accompanying our group of thirty-two pilgrims led by Maggie Hoagland on our pilgrimage to visit shrines of Italy. We will be praying for you and request your prayers too - for us pilgrims, and for Fr. Patrick and the rest of the Pastoral Team who continue to administer....

As the bulletin goes to press this week, we are experiencing at least two major humanitarian crises in our own part of the world. We soon expect to see the heartbreaking images of devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, and our thoughts and prayers turn to our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean - especially in Jamaica, eastern Cuba, and Haiti. These regions, already burdened by poverty, have been struck by catastrophic....

First, allow me to thank all those who participated in any way in the Day of Prayer for Harmony in Our Nation and Peace in the World. Whether you came to one of the churches for Adoration or prayed in your own way, your prayers have helped our human family to be more....

Over the next few weeks, we have some special opportunities to pray for peace, to celebrate, and to remember those who have passed to the Lord. Please consider these invitations as you plan your fall calendar. This Wednesday, October 22, is a specific Day of Prayer for Harmony in our Nation & Peace in our World. In light of recent events in our nation

Since each parish maintains its own properties, debts and assets, each parish continues to have its own Parish Finance Council (PFC) to monitor, advise, and sign off on their parish's fiscal management. The members of St. Martha PFC are: Kathy Parker (chair), Tom Morris, Dave Medeiros, and Deacon Tom Hines. The members of the St. Mary PFC are: Charlie Weiblen (chair), Dan O’Connell, and Tim Saunders. I am looking for a new member or two for each PFC, so if you have....

First of all, in light of recent acts of violence in our country including places of worship, I just want to assure you that the Risk Management department of the archdiocese, as well as our collaborative Pastoral Team and Safety Team are actively reviewing our safety and security practices for all of our church activities. We are considering some new security ideas, but we need to balance....

This month, Pope Leo XIV canonized two remarkable young people: St. Carlo Acutis, a teenager from Italy who died of leukemia in 2006, and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati, a joyful young man from early 20th-century Italy who dedicated his short life to prayer, friendship, and service to the poor. Their stories remind us that holiness is....

First, let me begin by celebrating last week’s very successful cookout for our parishes, with the theme “PWC at 10 Years: Better Together” - the tenth anniversary of formally being a “collaborative of parishes” and the many blessings and strength that has brought us. What a beautiful turnout and fun day it was for an event to bring together....

In recent years, we have been hearing more and more about “artificial intelligence,” or AI. This way of using computer science technology can do some remarkable things: analyze vast amounts of information, recognize patterns, translate languages, or take on repetitive tasks. These tools can be....

Next Sunday, September 14, our collaborative parishes will gather for our annual church picnic, this year with the joyful theme: “PWC at 10 Years: Better Together.” From 11:30am–2:30pm, both inside and outside at St. Martha church, we will enjoy games, live music, and a cookout, but most of all, we will enjoy being together. This weekend is....

In God’s design, we are made for relationships - with God and with other people. This is evident throughout the Bible, and especially in the Greatest Commandment, calling us to love God above all others and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are constantly being invited to grow in relationship with the Lord through prayer, the Word and Sacraments, and our life experiences. In addition, God gives us various opportunities....

And in this week’s Gospel, Jesus uses the image of fire to describe the demands of discipleship. The fire he has come to cast on the earth is the fire that he wants to blaze in each of our hearts. He made us from the dust of the earth (see Genesis 2:7), and filled us with the fire of the Holy Spirit in baptism (see Luke 3:16)....

Summertime can be a mixed blessing for me. Don’t get me wrong - I enjoy the weather, the somewhat slower pace of life and ministry, and the chance to do some of those things I have not had time for during the rest of the year. However, with the less structured schedule and so many things to choose from....

This month marks the tenth anniversary of St. Martha and St. Mary formally joining together as a Collaborative under the Disciples in Mission pastoral framework established by Cardinal Sean O’Malley (now our Archbishop emeritus). Our journey toward collaboration began a few years earlier, when our parishes began sharing a pastor - Father Chip Hines and then Fr. Bill Schmidt (both assisted by Fr. Bill Lohan) - who helped us transition to a shared....

Though we be "but dust and ashes," we can presume to draw near and speak boldly to our Lord, as Abraham dares in this week’s First Reading. But even Abraham - the friend of God (see Isaiah 41:8), our father in the faith (see Romans 4:12) - did not know the intimacy that we know

Many of you know Sister Michelle Authier and Sister Alice Cote, the two Religious of Jesus & Mary (RJM) who have been living in the residence (former rectory) at St. Martha Parish since the Jesus and Mary convent on School Street closed late in 2020. They have both been longtime residents of Plainville, helping to care for their retired....

We all have to navigate the experience of loss many times in our lives, varying in intensity from minor to traumatic and everything in between. Losses - whether the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, the loss of health, a job, or even a cherished dream - can deeply affect our emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Our reactions to loss often bring feelings of sadness, anger, ....